Method And Apparartus for Breaking Tablets or Pills

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for breaking tablets or pills into separate, generally equal sized portions. A container for the tablets has a surface with an elongated, generally straight, raised ridge member extending along the container surface. A tablet or pill is placed on the topmost surface of the raised ridge with the outer tablet edges extending along the container surface. A tablet or pill is placed on the topmost surface of the raised ridge with the outer tablet edges extending outwardly beyond the raised ridge and spaced above the container surface. Generally equal forces are simultaneously exerted downwardly on the outer tablet edges urging the outer edges downwardly toward the container surface breaking the tablet into two generally equally sized tablet portions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for breaking pills ortablets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present apparatus is a container or package having a generallystraight, raised, integrally-formed breaker ridge extending along asurface of the container or package. The method comprises placing atablet along the top-most surface of the breaker ridge and exertingdownward force on the outer edges of the tablet. The pill is brokenalong the longitudinal ridge into two separate generally equal portions,

Unlike prior art tablet splitters or pill cutters, the present apparatusand method utilizes no cutter or blade. Such prior art blades required anumber of various structural elements to protect the user from the sharpblade edge when the cutter is in use. Examples of such cutter type pillsplitters include those taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,458,300; 6,974,525;6,968,987; and 6,739,488. All of these prior art devices use a sharpcutter or fulcrum to engage the tablet and “cut” the tablet.

The present inventive embodiment does not require and even teaches awayfrom any sharp cutter edge or blade to engage the pill or tablet. Thus,the breaker ridge may be integrated into an outer surface of a standardtablet or pill container without exposing the user to a sharp cutteredge or blade. In one embodiment, the breaker ridge may be adapted toextend along the inside surface of a container cap. In otherembodiments, such as standard envelope-style pill pockets ormulti-tablet foil packages, a stiff breaker ridge may extend along theouter surface of the package raised slightly above the package surface.As will be understood from the description below, the breaker ridge hasa smooth, arcuate uppermost curved apex surface only slightly raisedabove the outer surface of the container. The ridge must only besufficiently raised to enable downward forces to be applied to the outeredges of a tablet and the outer edges to be extended below the topmostsurface of the ridge breaker. Thus, the tablet will crack and breakalong the top of the ridge into two separate portions.

Because the present embodiment may be integrated into the originaltablet packaging or the product container, no separate pill storage orcutter container is required. No replacement blades are necessary. Thepresent apparatus may be entirely disposable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method and apparatus for breaking tablets orpills into separate, generally equal sized portions. Typically, thetablets or pills that are broken are pharmaceutical tablets or pills,but it should be understood that any tablet or pill, including but notlimited to non-pharmaceutical products, vitamins, veterinary productsand even hard candies and the like may be broken. A container for thetablets has a surface with an elongated, generally straight, raisedridge member extending along the container surface. A tablet or pill isplaced on the topmost surface of the raised ridge with the outer tabletedges extending along the container surface. A tablet or pill is placedon the topmost surface of the raised ridge with the outer tablet edgesextending outwardly beyond the raised ridge and spaced above thecontainer surface. Generally equal forces are simultaneously exerteddownwardly on the outer tablet edges urging the outer edges downwardlytoward the container surface breaking the tablet into two generallyequally sized tablet portions.. A tablet guide member may be provided tofacilitate positioning the tablet on the breaker ridge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present apparatus with a breakerridge integral with the cap surface of a container.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the present apparatus with a breakerridge integral with the inside cap surface of a container.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present apparatus with a breakerridge integral with the bottom surface of the container.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present method showing a tabletreceived on the topmost surface of a breaker ridge ready for force to beapplied to the outer opposite edges of a tablet.

FIG. 4 illustrates a broken tablet urged downwardly from the smooth,arcuate topmost apex surface of the breaker ridge.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a tablet guide affixed to thecontainer surface for cooperation with the smooth, arcuate topmost apexsurface of the breaker ridge.

FIG. 5A illustrates a tablet urged into the guide and received on thetopmost apex surface of the breaker ridge.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the apparatuson the outer surface of an envelope-type tablet container.

FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the apparatuson the outer surface of a foil tablet package (a multi-tablet package).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference is made to the drawings which are a part of the disclosure ofthis invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the present application 10having a generally elongated, straight, raised, ridge member 12extending laterally across an outside surface of a cap 14 of a tablet orpill container 16. It should be understood that, while the drawings anddescription herein often refer to the standard, cylindrical, plasticpharmaceutical pill container or vial, the invention is applicable tomost containers for tablets and pills. This includes envelope-typepackages, foil-type containers, pill packers, hinged containers, pillboxes, and the like.

In FIG. 1, a child-proof cap 14 has a raised collar or outer ring 15 tofacilitate opening the container. Some caps require a downward push onthe cap while it is being twisted in order to open the container. Thecollar or ring 15 creates a recessed surface portion 18 in the outersurface of the cap. FIG. 1A illustrates a breaker ridge 12 a disposed onthe inner surface of the cap 14.

The raised ridge member 12 extends only slightly above this recessedsurface 18. In some embodiments, the topmost apex surface 20 isapproximately 1/32″ in height, while it may extend to as high as ⅛″ incircumstances when the recess depth is ½″. As may be seen in FIG. 1, thetop surface 20 is a generally smooth, arcuate curvature presenting anon-cutting surface. The length of the ridge 12 may be from ⅛″-½″depending on the diameter of the cap 14.

FIG. 1 also illustrates an embodiment in which a breaker ridge 21 may beintegrated into an outer surface of the container along a side wall 22when the container is being manufactured.

Alternatively, a breaker ridge 23 may be formed into a surface 25 in therecessed bottom portion 24 of a container 26 as shown in FIG. 2. Again,the length and height of the raised breaker ridge 23 is dependent on thecontainer size or the size of the tablet (as discussed below).

The method of the present invention comprises obtaining a container fora pill or tablet as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1 and 2, having asurface 16, 18, 25 with an elongated generally straight, raised ridgemember 12, 21, 23 extending along the surface. The ridge may beintegrally formed into the container or carton along the outer sidewalls, or inner closure flaps, or the vial cap during the manufacturingprocess or it may be applied to such surfaces with any acceptablefastening process, including adhesive, glues, heat fusion, and sonicwelding.

The ridge has a generally smooth, arcuate topmost surface 20 as shown inFIG. 3. A tablet 30 is placed or received on the topmost surface 20 ofthe ridge with the outer tablet edges 32, 34 extending outwardly beyondthe topmost surface of the ridge and spaced above the container surface16, 18, 25. FIG. 3 shows generally equal forces F₁ and F₂ beingsimultaneously exerted to the outer tablet edges 32, 34 and urging theouter tablet edges downward to the container surface.

Most pills or tablets utilized in the present invention are sufficientlyrigid and brittle that they snap or break into generally equally sizedtablet portions T₁ and T₂ upon the application of the downward as shownin FIG. 4. It should be noted that the raised ridge member does not cutthe tablet as prior art devices do.

In other embodiments of the invention, a tablet guide member 40, asshown in FIG. 5, may be added. The guide 40 may be U or V-shaped andextends higher above the container surface 16 than does the topmostsurface 20 of the ridge member 12, The “open” shape of the guide allowsa tablet 30 to be slid between the side walls 42, 44 and urged againstthe front wall 46 when received or placed on the topmost surface 20 ofthe ridge.

As seen in FIG. 5A, the outer edges 32, 34 of the tablet extendoutwardly from the ridge 12 and are spaced above the container surface16. The outer edges 32, 34 do not rest on the top of the side walls 42,44 or the front wall 16 of the guide member 40. Thus, when forces F₁ andF₄ are applied to the tablet outer edges, the edges are urged downwardlysnapping the tablet into portions T₁ and T₂.

In those embodiments (see FIGS. 6 and 6A), where the container is anenvelope-type package 50 or a multi-tablet foil package 52, a breakerridge 12 may be formed into or affixed to the outer surface 16 of thepackage. While not illustrated, it should be understood that a tabletguide member may be added to the packages 50, 52 where appropriate.Further, a ridge could be formed on an inner surface of the envelope andurge the outer flexible packaging surface to have a raised ridge 12 cupon which the tablet may be placed and broken as seen in FIG. 6A.

Although the invention has been described in connection with thepreferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the invention'sparticular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to coversuch alterations, modifications, and equivalences that may be includedin the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

1. A method for breaking a tablet having opposing outer tablet edgesinto separate portions comprising the steps of: obtaining a containerfor said tablet, said container having a surface with an elongated,generally straight, raised, ridge member extending along said surface;placing said tablet on a topmost surface of said raised ridge with saidouter tablet edges extending outwardly beyond said raised ridge andspaced above said container surface; simultaneously exerting generallyequal forces to said outer tablet edges urging said outer tablet edgesdownward toward said container surface; and breaking said tablet intotwo generally equally sized tablet portions.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein said raised ridge member extends along an outer surface of a capof said container.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said raised ridgemember extends along an inner surface of a cap of said container.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said raised edge member extends along arecessed bottom portion of said container.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein said container is selected from the group consisting of agenerally cylindrical tablet bottle, a tablet carton, an envelope tabletpackage, and a foil tablet package.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid container further comprises a tablet guide member affixed to saidcontainer surface and cooperating with said raised ridge member tofacilitate placement of said tablet along said ridge member, said tabletguide having an uppermost surface extending above said topmost surfaceof said ridge member and positioned outwardly beyond said outer tabletedges when said tablet is placed upon said topmost surface of saidraised ridge member.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said topmostsurface of said raised ridge member is a generally smooth arcuate,non-cutting surface.
 8. An apparatus for breaking a tablet comprising acontainer for said tablet having an integral, elongated, generallystraight, raised ridge member extending along a surface of saidcontainer, said raised ridge extending upwardly from said surface andadapted to receive said tablet along a topmost ridge surface withopposite outer tablet edges extending outwardly from said raised ridgeand spaced above said container surface, said outer tablet edges adaptedto receive simultaneously generally equal downward forces sufficient tobreak said tablet.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising atablet guide member affixed to said container surface and cooperatingwith said raised ridge member to facilitate receipt of said tablet alonga topmost surface of said ridge member to facilitate receipt of saidtablet along a topmost surface of said ridge member and positionedoutwardly beyond said outer tablet edges when said tablet is received onsaid topmost surface of said raised ridge member.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 9, wherein said topmost surface of said raised ridge member is agenerally smooth, arcuate, non-cutting surface.